Wales and the South Coast are the nation’s DIY property sale hotspots

The latest research by tradespeople comparison site, HaMuch.com, has looked at where is home to the highest level of tradesperson demand based on the number of existing properties being bought and sold and in need of further work.

*Existing property sales refers to properties that are not new build

Spring is fast approaching bringing a boost in the number of both residential and commercial property sales and while moving to new property presents its own substantial list of things to do, once the dust has settled the majority of home movers and business owners still have a whole host of DIY jobs that require professional help.

Across England and Wales, there were hundreds of thousands of property sales last year and the vast majority (89%) of these were existing properties, not newly built ones.

For the large part, those moving into a newly built premise will have little need for a professional trade person, however, for those acquiring an existing property there is often work to be done that goes above and beyond your light touch DIY jobs for the weekend.

On a monthly basis, the number of properties sold last year spiked in March and remained high right through until dropping again in November, so the nation’s professional tradespeople will currently be gearing up for the incoming rush of work.

But where is home to the largest number of potential jobs based on the biggest proportion of existing property sales?

Blaenau Gwent in Wales is the biggest trade job hotspot with existing properties accounting for 99.7% of all transactions and newly built properties accounting for just .3%.

Wales seems a safe bet for tradesperson demand with Merthyr Tydfil ranking second with 99.3% of all transactions coming within the existing property space.

Portsmouth ranks third (98.7%), followed by Ceredigion (98.6%), Brighton and Hove (98.2%), Rhondda Cynon Taff (97.7%), Bournemouth (97.7%), Powys (97.4%), Poole (97.2%) and Caerphilly (96.7%).

Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented:

“Searching for a local tradesperson used to limit you to companies within the immediate area, but technology now allows us to receive instant quotes from much further afield, and with strong competition for work, many tradespeople will travel much longer distances and even work away during the week for a well-paid opportunity.

Whether this is at a commercial or residential property, the best paid opportunities with the more substantial workloads often come via those who have recently acquired a property and have a number of things to remedy before they can call the job done.

With peak season for property buying almost upon us, it would seem the best chance of maximising your workload if you do work in the trades is to up sticks and move to either Wales or the South coast of England, as these are the areas with by far the most existing property sales as a proportion of all transactions.”

Area
Existing properties sold as a % of all transactions (2019)
BLAENAU GWENT
99.7%
MERTHYR TYDFIL
99.3%
PORTSMOUTH
98.7%
CEREDIGION
98.6%
BRIGHTON AND HOVE
98.2%
RHONDDA CYNON TAFF
97.7%
BOURNEMOUTH
97.7%
POWYS
97.4%
POOLE
97.2%
CAERPHILLY
96.7%
SWANSEA
96.57%
NEATH PORT TALBOT
96.52%
DENBIGHSHIRE
96.50%
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
96.38%
YORK
96.37%
PEMBROKESHIRE
95.89%
ISLE OF ANGLESEY
95.79%
SOUTHAMPTON
95.48%
LEICESTER
95.35%
NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE
95.27%

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Mortgage Lending Statistics – December 2025

Latest findings The outstanding value of all residential mortgage loans increased by 0.9% from the previous quarter to £1,733.7 billion, and was 2.9% higher than a year earlier. The value of gross mortgage advances increased by 36.9% from the previous quarter to £80.4 billion, the largest increase in new advances since 2020 Q3, and was…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Bank of England interest rates decision – Thoughts from the Industry

The Bank of England has just announced its decision to cut the base rate to 3.75%, the first cut seen since August of this year. This decision comes after inflation (CPI) dropped to 3.2% in November (from 3.6% in October), slowly edging towards the Bank’s 2.0% target. The Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 in favour…
Read More
Breaking News

A Winter Rate Cut to Thaw the Market

By Kevin Shaw, National Sales Managing Director, LRG Today’s reduction in interest rates is very welcome news – for homeowners, buyers, property professionals, and no doubt Government ministers. This warming news is set against a chilly backdrop: unemployment has increased to 5.1%, while the November Budget tightened the fiscal screws. Inflation, however, has eased to…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 18/12/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio” UK Estate Agents to go Danish style Government suggests professionalising property agents by adopting the Danish protocol Extract from the Open consultation Government Home Buying and Selling reform consultation – closing date 29th December ‘Estate agents play a pivotal…
Read More
Breaking News

2026 Predictions for the Lettings Sector

By Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director, Leaders “The Renters’ Rights Bill will be the defining influence on the sector in 2026. While it raises the bar for professionalism and improves standards for tenants, it also represents the biggest operational shift landlords and agents have faced in a generation. Long-standing tenancy practices are changing, and…
Read More
Breaking News

The unexpected areas driving the UK property market

The latest market analysis from eXp UK shows that it is Derbyshire, Melton and Oldham that have driven UK house price growth over the last year, having posted the strongest annual increases of all UK local authorities. As another year comes to a close, eXp UK has analysed annual house price growth across the UK…
Read More